Sea Shepherd/ MGN NEW ORLEANS (AP) – In a new study, a team of scientists says there’s a definite link between the massive BP oil spill in 2010 and a record number of dolphin deaths along the northern Gulf of Mexico. The scientists said large numbers of dead bottlenose dolphins found stranded along shores since the spill suffered from lung and adrenal lesions caused by swimming in oil-contaminated seas. The research paper backs up previous findings linking dolphin deaths to the oil spill. BP has rejected this contention, and on Wednesday said the new study failed to make a link between the deaths and oil contamination. Instead, it said, the dolphins were likely suffering from common respiratory illnesses. The new study was published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed online journal PLOS ONE.